January 11, 2010 - Vendor Alley

calREDD, do the math…

January 11th, 2010

unicorn — The mythical California State Wide MLS System

Inman News had an article on CARETS today. Turns out the service is too popular. They had to stop taking on new MLS providers, so they can catch up. This is a bummer but most likely the right thing to do to ensure their infrastructure is solid.

The amusing part of the article was calREDD’s response (via Mike Silvas the chairman of calREDD):

“We are disappointed, and frankly, concerned about their inability to perform at this point,” Silvas said. …”

One word Mr. Silvas: FRESNO!

This got me thinking. How many C.A.R. members is calREDD serving vs. how many C.A.R members is CARETS serving. So I took a look at calREDD website. Then I visited CARETS website. Here’s what I came up with:

Several large MLS providers are not on this list from calREDD LOIs; MLS Listings (Silicon Valley), MetroList Services (Central Valley), SoCalMLS, MRMLS, BAREIS to name a few. That’s a hell of a lot of agents: Over 100,000, easy.

Here are the MLS/Assocations CARETS provides service:

California Desert Association of REALTORS®
Citrus Valley Association of REALTORS®
East Valley Association of REALTORS®
Inglewood Board of REALTORS®
Inland Gateway Association of REALTORS®
Inland Valleys Association of REALTORS®
Montebello District Board of REALTORS®
Orange County Association of REALTORS®
Palos Verdes Peninsula Association of REALTORS®
Simi Valley-Moorpark Association of REALTORS®
South Bay Association of REALTORS®
Southland Regional Association of REALTORS®
Southwest Riverside County Association of REALTORS®
Tri-Counties Association of REALTORS®
Ventura County Coastal Association of REALTORS®

That’s well over 100,000 agents, my estimates are around 110,000 agents.

Plus when CARETS starts adding again they have LOIs with these MLS/Boards:

Sandicor, Inc. Regional MLS
North San Diego County Association of REALTORS®
Pacific Southwest Association of REALTORS®
Palm Springs Regional Association of REALTORS®
San Diego Association of REALTORS®

Now here’s calREDD’s list:

Merced County Association of REALTORS® (Live as of August, 2009)
Madera Association of REALTORS® (Live as of August, 2009)
Lake County Association of REALTORS® (January 11, 2010)
Chico Association of REALTORS® (January 25, 2010)
Oroville Association of REALTORS® (January 25, 2010)
Paradise Association of REALTORS® (January 25, 2010)
Amador Association of REALTORS® (March, 2010)
Yosemite Gateway Association of REALTORS® (March, 2010)
Mariposa County Board of REALTORS® (April, 2010)
Tehama County Association of REALTORS® (April, 2010)
Plumas Association of REALTORS® (April, 2010)

I’ve added up total membership for these MLS providers. 2,702

CARETS: 110,000 agents
calREDD 2,702 agents

If my memory serves C.A.R. allocated 3 Million dollars for calREDD.

2,702 agents, 3 Million dollars.

Does calREDD really think they have any chance of implementing a state wide MLS system when so many MLS Providers and Association have already made their choice?

C.A.R. members should do the math.

Kurt von Wasmuth Named President and CEO of RMLS™

January 11th, 2010

Vendor Alley readers already are familar with the drama. Great to see one of the good guys make the cut. Congrats Kurt!!

Kurt von Wasmuth Named President and CEO of RMLS™
RMLS™ Board of Directors promotes company’s Senior Vice President

PORTLAND, Ore. – RMLS™ (Regional Multiple Listing Service), the largest Realtor®-owned multiple listing service in the Northwest, announced the promotion of Kurt von Wasmuth to President and CEO today.

Von Wasmuth joined RMLS™ in 1998 as a Help Desk Technician and most recently served as Senior Vice President. He has also held management positions in training, communications and information services within the company. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington.

“With more than a decade of leadership in the industry and a strong focus on subscriber priorities, our Board of Directors is confident in Kurt’s ability to lead RMLS™ in this challenging market,” said Gary Whiting, a principal broker with John L. Scott and the 2010 Chairman of the RMLS™ Board.
Kurt von Wasmuth

“I’m excited to step into this role and look forward to helping RMLS™ grow its services and solutions for real estate professionals in the Northwest,” said von Wasmuth.

Former-president and CEO Beth Murphy retired in December after 11 years in the position and 15 years with RMLS™. After initial plans to move into a consulting role with RMLS™, she has instead elected to embrace full retirement.

About RMLS™
RMLS™ produces and provides multiple listing and related services to facilitate cooperation between its more than 12,000 REALTOR® subscribers. It is the primary source for real estate information and the premier Multiple Listing Service in the Pacific Northwest. For more information, visit www.rmlsbenefits.com.

Ira Luntz joins LPS Real Estate Group on "hush hush" project

January 11th, 2010

Industry veteran Ira Luntz has joined LPS Real Estate group. After a successful stint at Listingbook (albeit a bizarre ending) it didn’t take long for Ira to find a new gig.

What’s interesting is that there seems to be a bit of secrecy on the project Ira is woking on. It will be interesting to see what LPS has up their sleeve next….

Congrats Ira!!